I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for inactivating organisms and more particularly to a method and system for inactivating red tide algae and harmful dinoflagellates.
II. Description of the Related Art
Ozone is a tri-atomic oxygen (O.sub.3) gas that is created commercially when oxygen (O.sub.2) is exposed to a high-voltage electrical discharge. Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent that is highly efficient in the removal of soil and other contamination materials (e.g., from textiles). This property makes ozone especially suited for washing laundry. The application of ozone to commercial laundry system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,743, entitled "OZONE ASSISTED LAUNDRY WASH PROCESS AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM", issued Feb. 27, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,720 entitled "LAUNDRY WASTE WATER TREATMENT AND WASH PROCESS", issued Sep. 7, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,399, entitled "LAUNDRY WASTE WATER TREATMENT AND WASH APPARATUS", issued Jan. 26, 1996; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,556, entitled "LAUNDRY WASTE WATER TREATMENT AND WASH PROCESS", issued Mar. 24, 1992. These patents are incorporated herein by reference.
In a seemingly unrelated field, red tide algae and other harmful dinoflagellates are organisms that usually live below the water surface (i.e., three to four feet below the surface). Red tide algae and dinoflagellates generate odor naturally in warm temperature and absorb organic compounds in water. Red tide algae and dinoflagellates also consume oxygen in the water, thereby depleting the oxygen content and causing fishes (and others) to die due to lack of oxygen. In addition, red tide algae can attach to the gill of fishes. This can cause infection in fishes that can eventually lead to death.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method and process to inactivate red tide algae and harmful dinoflagellates without harming the fishes.